Qualified Teacher Status

From 1 April 2012 qualified teachers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA can apply to the Teaching Agency for qualified teacher status (QTS) without undertaking further training or assessment in England.

The four year rule.

The four year rule applies to teachers who qualified in countries outside of the EEA and Switzerland except for teachers who qualified in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.

OTTs are allowed to teach in state maintained schools and non-maintained special schools in England as unqualified teachers for four calendar years. However, they are not permitted to teach in pupil referral units (PRUs) until they have been awarded qualified teacher status (QTS).

The four year period an OTT is allowed to work as an unqualified teacher begins on the first day the individual taught in a state maintained school or a non-maintained special school in England and expires exactly four years later regardless of whether the OTT has taught throughout the four year period.